Yeah, the post title has it right -- we're surviving. We're having a short respite from the hot weather, which is wonderful, but even better, we're surviving school. Four days so far, and it's not easy, but I think it's going to be OK. Maybe. Probably.
What makes school different now is that the teachers are actually holding class online, rather than recording short messages, posting assignments, etc., as they did in the spring. The boys are taking three classes this quarter, so each morning (Tuesday through Friday) they sign on to their 1st class at 9 am, their 2nd class at 10 am, and their third class at 11 am. They do this on their own -- it would be weird for a mom to be sitting behind them on the call. Also, since they have no classes together, they sit in different rooms (so they don't have to wear headphones) -- Kid A in their bedroom and Kid B in the living room, for instance. After the three classes they get a 40-minute lunch break, and then they have "advisory" for 30 minutes. I don't really know what "advisory" is.
The rest of the afternoon is confusing. They have their three classes again, sometimes with the teacher and sometimes not. Although I'm sure each teacher told her class, each day, how the afternoon would go, the twins never seemed to know. Of course they don't take any notes during class, they just assume they'll remember what was said. Sometimes our (new, fabulous) internet fails just when the teacher is talking, sometimes their Chromebooks crash, sometimes there's some sort of difficulty on the teacher's end (microphone stops working, etc.). Sometimes the twins are using the bathroom, getting something to eat or drink, petting the cat, or simply not paying attention, when the teacher explains what they'll do in the afternoon. It's a problem, but I hope a fixable one.
On Mondays they have assignments to do on their own. Today was our first Monday and it did not go well, but I think it will get better. Right now they're spending a lot of time setting things up on their Chromebooks, and it would be easier if they were in the room with their teacher and she could come over and say, "How are you doing? Oh, see, if you just click here and drag here..." I never did understand what their social studies teacher wanted them to do today: each boy ended up doing it differently, and I have no idea which way was right, or whether it matters.
It's fine.
So I'm calmer now than I was a week ago. I still really wish they were going back to school in person, and I hope they will be able to later in the year, but I think they WILL get something out of the school year even if it stays virtual. I worry about kindergarteners, first graders, second graders, people who don't have good internet, all of that. But we're OK.
I'm still having a lot of anxiety about everything else in our lives. The Covid death count is now at 183,450, up about 5000 from a week ago. Cases are skyrocketing in college towns, though not Boulder, not yet. Maybe it won't skyrocket here. I was doing some errands downtown on Saturday and I saw a lot of college students wearing masks, which surprised and pleased me.
On Sunday we came up with the idea of going to the cabin, and that turned out to be a wonderful plan. I hadn't been there in two years, though Rocket Boy and the twins were up there about 18 months ago, right before he moved to St. Louis. We always wonder whether it will still be standing when we go, because there's no one who would tell us if it had been broken into or if a tree fell on it. People must just know by looking at the outside that there's nothing valuable inside.
Rocket Boy always has a project to do -- this time we brought lumber strapped to the top of my car, so he could build a shelf. RB puttered around, sawing and hammering, while the twins and I hung out in the front room. They've outgrown all the beautiful old toys we have up there, so they spent the entire time playing games on their stupid iPads. I mostly read. Rocket Boy is always bringing things up to the cabin to store, books and papers and whatnot, so I looked to see whether my old costume box was up there, but I didn't find it. I suspect it was ruined in the flood and it's just something I decided to forget. Alternatively, it may be in our garage. No big deal. Either it will turn up or it won't.
Although I have a lot of trouble with my breathing at 10,500 feet, I always like to walk down to the beaver ponds and see what's up (it's the walk back up to the cabin that really gives me trouble). This time I didn't see any beavers, but I did hear dogs barking, and after a moment turned around to see two Rottweilers running towards me. Well, I thought, I may be about to die, or be mauled, but is that really likely? Even if the people next door think I'm on their property (I wasn't -- we have 10 acres), they wouldn't let their dogs harm an old lady, would they? I smiled at the dogs and they turned out to be sweethearts, licking me and rubbing their heads against me. Their names were Gunther and Althea. Althea in particular would not leave me alone, ignoring her owner who kept yelling at her to come home. So that was good, I wasn't mauled. I wanted to talk to the dogs' owner, but he disappeared back into his house. We're not sure if that house sold or if the owners' kids are living in it, or what.
We always eat at the Cutthroat Cafe in Bailey on our way to the cabin, and we were relieved to find them open, but with covid precautions, masks and all that. The menu was posted outside, and then we had to go in and order and pay at a new front desk, before getting our food, but that was fine. We were just glad they were still in business. We sat on the back patio and counted magpies and Steller's jays while we ate our sandwiches. On the way home (we left around 7 pm) it was too late to eat anywhere, but we stopped at a gas station on our way out of Fairplay and got snacks. Kid A got onion rings and Gatorade, Kid B got Takis and Vitamin water, and I got two chocolate bars and a bottle of Starbucks vanilla latte, to keep me awake on the road (I drove, my choice). Rocket Boy was very disapproving of these food choices, and crossly munched one of his dry granola bars in the car.
We were home by 9 pm, plenty of time for showers and another chapter of The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis.
And then today was Monday and we had school and there were problems, but oh well. Tomorrow it's back to school taught by the teachers, not Mom. Rocket Boy plans to be with us perhaps two more weeks and then return to St. Louis. It hasn't been as good a visit as the one in May/June, but there have been lots of good times and we'll miss him so much when he goes back. I'm going to try to make these two weeks good ones.
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